Customized Maple Leaf Mittens

Pattern Referenced: Caramel Wrist Warmers, Monica Russel (Head to Toe Winter Knits)

Date Completed: March 12th, 2024

Ok this story actually starts like a month before. I started making these lovely knit Caramel Wrist Warmers out of some leftover yarn, in red and black. My aunt saw these and said "wow lyn you're such an amazing artist can you make me a pair too" and I said "maybe" and she said "I'll pay you" and I said "sure". Now this aunt works at a maple syrup farm (very Canadian statement I know), and so I decided to customize these wrist warmers to better suit her. I started by drafting out a pixel art maple leaf in Clip Studio Paint, nothing huge, a 13 wide and 12 tall repeating pattern. I also decided to scroll Pinterest for a nice colorwork pattern to slot in, and found one that reminded me a bit of trees, so I threw that in as well.

I think I started this project on either February 26th or 27th? It's almost been a year since then and all my information is coming from old pictures on my phone. I guess that means I worked for either 14 or 15 days before I finished? I could definitely do this much faster as I am now since they're tiny but including the time needed to block and mattress stitch them together I'd take much longer to just stop procrastinating on those steps. This wasn't really my first colorwork or first self-drafted pattern (even this was semi-self-drafted) but I think it's the first piece that I look back on with such fondness. Like yeah, I made that. The only other project from back then I still regularly wear is this simple two-tone scarf I self-drafted and even that doesn't come close.

We're ignoring the stains on my sweater in this image I took these pictures a year ago and I'm so embarassed I ever let this happen